Wireless control apparatus and method for haptic device

ABSTRACT

A control apparatus and method for controlling a haptic device are disclosed. The control apparatus can comprise: a haptic pattern data generation unit for generating first haptic pattern data corresponding to a bit pattern of content; a wireless data generation unit for generating wireless data including the first haptic pattern data and identification data of at least one target haptic device by which the first haptic pattern data is to be received; and a wireless data transmission unit for transmitting the generated wireless data through an antenna.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Division of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/613,860,filed Mar. 25, 2020, which claims the priority of National Stage ofInternational patent application PCT/KR2017/011226, filed on Oct. 12,2017, which claims priority of foreign Korean patent application No. KR10-2017-0119612, filed on Sep. 18, 2017, the disclosures of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following description relates to a method and apparatus forcontrolling an operation of a haptic device.

BACKGROUND ART

As the integration of touch screen technology into smart devices isbecoming more common, the utilization of mechanical buttons is graduallydecreasing. However, consumers accustomed to typical mechanical buttonshave a desire to experience a touch of the mechanical button even onsmart devices. To satisfy such desire of consumers, a haptic device mayprovide an appropriate haptic feedback to a user to provide a touchfeeling that can be felt in a typical mechanical button. The hapticdevice not only provides a touch feeling on a user interface, but alsoprovides a suitable haptic feedback in context to audiencesparticipating in various performances and sports events. Through this,the haptic device may provide the audiences with a higher level ofimmersion for the performances and sports events.

Meanwhile, there has been provided technology for providing immersion tothe audiences through a stage lighting wirelessly controlled in aperformance or sports event. However, according to haptic technology, itis possible to provide a suitable haptic stimulus corresponding to anevent situation of a performance and a sports game, thereby a muchhigher level of immersion to audiences. Also, the haptic technologyenables visually- or hearing-impaired users to enjoy the performance andsports game through the haptic stimulus.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical solutions

According to an aspect, there is provided a control apparatus forcontrolling an operation of a haptic device, the apparatus including ahaptic pattern data generator configured to generate first hapticpattern data corresponding to a bit pattern of content, a wireless datagenerator configured to generate wireless data including the firsthaptic pattern data and identification data of at least one targethaptic device to receive the first haptic pattern data, and a wirelessdata transmitter configured to transmit the generated wireless datathrough an antenna.

The control apparatus may further include a haptic pattern data storageconfigured to store at least one of first haptic pattern data previouslygenerated based on the bit pattern of the content and a second hapticpattern data previously generated based on a predetermined bit patternfor implementing an event effect.

The wireless data generator may be configured to generate wireless dataincluding the second haptic pattern data and identification data of atleast one haptic device to receive the second haptic pattern data.

The wireless data generator may be configured to generate wireless dataincluding a haptic pattern data indicator for selecting at least onehaptic pattern data from first haptic pattern data and second hapticpattern data stored in the haptic device.

The wireless data may further include operation control data associatedwith an operation of the at least one haptic device.

The control apparatus may further include a lighting pattern datagenerator configured to generate lighting pattern data for the at leastone haptic device. The wireless data may further include the lightingpattern data.

The lighting pattern data generator may be configured to determine alighting pattern to be applied to the at least one haptic device basedon stage lighting data and generate the lighting pattern data based onthe determined lighting pattern.

According to another aspect, there is also provided a haptic deviceincluding a wireless data receiver configured to receive wireless datafrom a control apparatus, a pattern data extractor configured to extracthaptic pattern data from the wireless data, an actuator configured togenerate a haptic stimulus, and an actuator controller configured togenerate a control signal for controlling the actuator based on theextracted haptic pattern data.

The haptic pattern data may include at least one of first haptic patterndata corresponding to a bit pattern of content and second haptic patterndata corresponding to a predetermined bit pattern for implementing anevent effect.

The haptic device may further include a haptic pattern data storageconfigured to store at least one of first haptic pattern data previouslygenerated based on a bit pattern of content and second haptic patterndata previously generated based on a predetermined bit pattern forimplementing an event effect.

According to another aspect, there is also provided a wireless dataproviding method performed by a control apparatus to control anoperation of a haptic device, the method including generating firsthaptic pattern data corresponding to a bit pattern of content,generating wireless data including the first haptic pattern data andidentification data of at least one target haptic device to receive thefirst haptic pattern data, and transmitting the generated wireless datathrough an antenna.

The wireless data providing method may further include storing, in ahaptic pattern data storage, second haptic pattern data corresponding toa predetermined bit pattern for implementing an event effect, andgenerating wireless data including the second haptic pattern data andidentification data of at least one target haptic device to receive thesecond haptic pattern data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless control systemfor a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless controlsystem for a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control apparatusaccording to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4a is a flowchart illustrating operations of a method ofextracting, by a haptic pattern data generator, an audio bit patternfrom an audio signal of received content data using a fast Fouriertransform (FFT) according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4b is a diagram illustrating an example in which a haptic patterndata generator separates an audio signal of a frequency band includingdesired bit pattern information using FFT according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 5a is a flowchart illustrating operations of a method ofextracting, by a haptic pattern data generator, an audio bit patternfrom an audio signal using a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) accordingto another example embodiment and FIG. 5b is a diagram illustrating aprocess in which a haptic pattern data generator splits an audio signalfor each frequency band through a discrete wavelet transformationaccording to another example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a haptic deviceaccording to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for atheater entrance system using a radio-frequency identification (RFID)tag and a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a wireless dataproviding method performed by a control apparatus to control anoperation of a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a haptic stimulusgenerating method performed by a haptic device according to an exampleembodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent tolimit this disclosure to the particular example embodiments disclosed.On the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the exampleembodiments.

Although terms of “first,” “second,” and the like are used to explainvarious components, the components are not limited to such terms. Theseterms are used only to distinguish one component from another component.For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component,or similarly, the second component may be referred to as the firstcomponent within the scope of the present disclosure.

Throughout the specification, when an element, such as a layer, region,or substrate, is described as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupledto” another element, it may be directly “on,” “connected to,” or“coupled to” the other element, or there may be one or more otherelements intervening therebetween. In contrast, when an element isdescribed as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directlycoupled to” another element, there can be no other elements interveningtherebetween.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,”“includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presenceof stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof

Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms used herein includingtechnical or scientific terms have the same meanings as those generallyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms defined indictionaries generally used should be construed to have meaningsmatching contextual meanings in the related art and are not to beconstrued as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless otherwisedefined herein.

When an embodiment is otherwise implemented, a function or operationspecified in a specific block may be performed differently from theflowchart. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executedsubstantially simultaneously, or the blocks may be reversed according torelated functions or operations.

Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. Regarding the reference numeralsassigned to the elements in the drawings, it should be noted that thesame elements will be designated by the same reference numerals. Also,in the description of example embodiments, detailed description ofwell-known related structures or functions will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless control systemfor a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

The wireless control system for the haptic device may provide a hapticstimulus and a lighting effect corresponding to content provided toconsumers of the content using the haptic device, thereby providing ahigher level of immersion. Content 110 provided to content consumers maybe a concert performance of a singer, a sports game, or the like, but isnot limited thereto. Referring to FIG. 1, while the content 110 such asa concert performance is provided, the content consumers may experiencea higher level of immersion into the content 110 along with a hapticstimulus and/or lighting effect provided through haptic devices 131,133, and 135. The haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may provide aspecific haptic stimulus and/or lighting effect to the contentconsumers.

The haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may provide a predetermined patternof haptic stimulus to users based on haptic pattern data correspondingto an audio signal of provided content data. As an example, during theconcert performance, the haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may provide ahaptic stimulus corresponding to a bit pattern of a song to the users.As another example, when the haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 are usedin a baseball game, the haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may provide ahaptic stimulus corresponding to a sound made by a batter hitting a ballto the users.

In another example embodiment, the haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 mayprovide a haptic stimulus to the users of the haptic devices 131, 133,and 135 based on haptic pattern data corresponding to a predeterminedbit pattern for implementing an event effect. The event effect mayinclude, for example, an effect corresponding to a specific gesture of asinger in the concert, a rain falling effect, an effect expressing aspecific mood (e.g., enthusiastic mood, gloomy mood, etc.), and aneffect expressing a heartbeat, but is not limited thereto. The hapticdevices 131, 133, and 135 may provide, to the users, a predeterminedhaptic stimulus corresponding to a specific bit pattern for implementingthe event effect.

In another example embodiment, the haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 mayprovide a lighting effect of a pattern determined based on stagelighting data of provided content to the users. For example, the stagelighting data may include lighting pattern data provided through alighting device 113 used in a concert of a singer. In this example, thehaptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may use built-in lighting devices toprovide a lighting effect corresponding to the lighting pattern data ofthe stage lighting data to the users.

The haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may be classified into user groups121, 123, and 125 based on identification data thereof. The hapticdevices 131, 133, and 135 may receive different haptic pattern data orlighting pattern data based on the user groups 121, 123, and 125 intowhich the haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 are classified. Based on thereceived haptic pattern data or lighting pattern data, the hapticdevices 131, 133, and 135 may provide different patterns of hapticstimuli and/or lighting effects to the users.

The haptic devices 131, 133, and 135 may be classified into the usergroup A 121, the user group B 123, and the user group C 125 based on theidentification data of the haptic devices. For example, haptic devicesclassified as the user group A 121 may provide red light and a hapticstimulus corresponding to a bit pattern of a base, to users of the usergroup A 121. Haptic devices classified as the user group B 123 mayprovide blue light and a haptic stimulus corresponding to a bit patternof a drum, to users of the user group B 121. Haptic devices classifiedas the user group B 123 may provide green light and a haptic stimuluscorresponding to a bit pattern of a melody, to users of the user group C121.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless controlsystem for a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, a wireless control system for a haptic device mayinclude a control apparatus 210 that receives input data and controls ahaptic device based on the received input data, and a haptic device 220that provides a haptic stimulus and a lighting effect to a user. Theinput data may include at least one of, for example, content data, eventeffect data, and stage lighting data. The content data may be dataincluding content, for example, a performance event, a sports event, andthe like to which the haptic device 220 is to be applied. A type of thecontent data is not limited to the aforementioned example. For example,the content data may include content provided in a predetermined eventto which the haptic device 220 is to be applied. The content data mayinclude an audio signal of provided content. The event effect data mayinclude data indicating an event effect provided in the content. Thestage lighting data may include data on a lighting pattern of anenvironment in which content is provided. When the haptic device 220 isapplied to an on-stage performance, the control apparatus 210 may beinstalled in a vicinity of a stage to control haptic devices ofaudiences. An installation position of the control apparatus is notlimited to the aforementioned example. In a case of a concertperformance, the haptic device 220 may be provided in a form of awearable device or a light stick to be worn by an audience, but not belimited thereto. Configurations and operations of the control apparatus210 and the haptic device 220 will be described in detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the term “haptic patterndata” is used as a term including both first haptic pattern data andsecond haptic pattern data described below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control apparatusaccording to an example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, a control apparatus 300 may include a receiver 310that receives input data, a haptic pattern data generator 320 thatgenerates haptic pattern data, a lighting pattern data generator 360that generates lighting pattern data corresponding to a lighting patternof a stage lighting, a wireless data generator 330 that generateswireless data to be transmitted to a haptic device, a haptic patterndata storage 340 in which haptic pattern data is stored, and a wirelessdata transmitter 350 that transmits the generated wireless data to thehaptic device.

The receiver 310 may receive content data for generating haptic patterndata, event effect data, and stage lighting data for generating lightingpattern data. The haptic pattern data generator 320 may generate firsthaptic pattern data corresponding to a bit pattern of content. Forexample, the bit pattern of the content may be an audio bit pattern ofan audio signal included in content data received through the receiver310. The haptic pattern data generator 320 may extract the audio bitpattern from the audio signal included in the content data receivedthrough the receiver 310, and generate the first haptic pattern datacorresponding to the extracted audio bit pattern. An operation of thehaptic pattern data generator 320 extracting an audio bit pattern froman audio signal of content data will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 4a, 4b, 5a , and 5 b.

In another example embodiment, the haptic pattern data generator 320 maygenerate second haptic pattern data corresponding to a predetermined bitpattern for implementing an event effect. The event effect may include,for example, an effect corresponding to a specific gesture of a singer,a rain falling effect, an effect expressing a specific mood (e.g.,enthusiastic mood, gloomy mood, etc.), and an effect expressing aheartbeat, but is not limited thereto. The haptic pattern data generator320 may generate second haptic pattern data corresponding to apredetermined bit pattern for implementing an event effect indicated inevent effect data received through the receiver 310. For example, whenthe event effect is an effect expressing an enthusiastic mood, thehaptic pattern data generator 320 may generate second haptic patterndata of a fast and furious bit pattern representing the enthusiasticmood based on the corresponding event effect.

The haptic pattern data generator 320 may generate the first hapticpattern data distinguished for each group of haptic devices. The hapticpattern data generator 320 may generate the first haptic pattern datadistinguished for each group of haptic devices even for the same contentdata. For example, the haptic pattern data generator 320 may generatethe first haptic pattern data by classifying haptic pattern datacorresponding to a bit pattern of a base and haptic pattern datacorresponding to a bit pattern of a drum for each group of hapticdevices based on content data on a concert performance received throughthe receiver 310. Also, the haptic pattern data generator 320 maygenerate the second haptic pattern data distinguished for each group ofhaptic devices.

The haptic pattern data storage 340 may store haptic pattern datagenerated in advance by the haptic pattern data generator 320. Forexample, the haptic pattern data stored in the haptic pattern datastorage 340 may include the first haptic pattern data generated based onthe bit pattern of the content and the second haptic pattern datacorresponding to the predetermined bit pattern for implementing theevent effect.

The wireless data generator 330 may generate wireless data includinghaptic pattern data to be transmitted to a target haptic device andidentification data of at least one target haptic device to receive thehaptic pattern data. The identification data of the target haptic devicemay have a unique value of the corresponding haptic device. The wirelessdata generator 330 may receive the identification data from the hapticdevice.

In an example embodiment, the wireless data generator 330 may generatewireless data including first haptic pattern data that is generated inreal time based on a content bit pattern included in content datareceived in real time through the receiver 310, and identification dataof at least one target haptic device to receive the generated firsthaptic pattern data.

In another example embodiment, the wireless data generator 330 maygenerate wireless data including at least one of first haptic patterndata and second haptic pattern data generated before a point in timethat content is provided and stored in the haptic pattern data storage340 and identification data of a target haptic device. The wireless datagenerator 330 may generate the wireless data by selecting at least oneof the stored haptic pattern data corresponding to at least one ofreceived content data or event effect data, instead of generating hapticpattern data in real time.

In another example embodiment, the wireless data generator 330 maygenerate wireless data including a haptic pattern data indicator forselecting at least one of first haptic pattern data and second hapticpattern data stored in a target haptic device and identification data ofthe target haptic device. The control apparatus 300 may transmit ahaptic pattern data indicator corresponding to received content data orevent data to the target haptic device through the wireless data. Thetarget haptic device may generate a haptic stimulus based on at leastone of the haptic pattern data stored in the target haptic devicecorresponding to the received data indicator.

The wireless data generated by the wireless data generator 330 mayfurther include operation control data associated with an operation ofthe target haptic device. For example, the operation control data mayinclude data for adjusting a haptic stimulation cycle, a hapticstimulation intensity, and the like of the haptic device. In anotherexample embodiment, the wireless data generator 330 may further includelighting pattern data for controlling a lighting effect of the hapticdevice.

The wireless data transmitter 350 may transmit the wireless datagenerated by the wireless data generator 330 through an antenna. Thewireless data transmitter 350 may include a wireless communication chipfor performing communication through wireless communication channels ofdifferent frequency bands, and transmit the wireless data to the hapticdevice through wireless communication channels of a plurality offrequency bands using a multi-channel antenna. The wireless datatransmitter 350 may transmit the wireless data through wirelesscommunication channels of a plurality of frequency bands, therebyensuring a stability and a reliability of wireless data transmission.

The lighting pattern data generator 360 may determine a lighting patternto be applied to the haptic device based on stage lighting data receivedthrough the receiver 310, and generate lighting pattern data based onthe determined lighting pattern. For example, the lighting pattern datagenerator 360 may scale the received stage lighting data to be in a formapplicable to the haptic device, determine a lighting patterncorresponding to a stage lighting change based on the scaled stagelighting data, and generate lighting pattern data based on thedetermined lighting pattern. The lighting pattern data generator 360 maygenerate lighting pattern data distinguished for each group of hapticdevices. For example, the lighting pattern data generator 360 maygenerate lighting pattern data for applying different colors oflightings to haptic devices based on groups of haptic devices.

FIG. 4a is a flowchart illustrating operations of a method ofextracting, by a haptic pattern data generator, an audio bit patternfrom an audio signal of received content data using fast Fouriertransform (FFT) according to an example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4a , in operation 411, a haptic pattern data generatormay perform segmentation on an input audio signal to perform the FFT onthe audio signal. The segmentation may refer to dividing an audio signalinto any number of data streams. For example, the haptic pattern datagenerator may segment an audio signal into 256 or 1024 data streams tosmoothly perform the FFT on the audio signal. The number of data streamsobtained through the segmentation is not limited to the example.

In operation 412, the haptic pattern data generator may convert theaudio signal from a time domain into a frequency domain by performingthe FFT on the segmented audio signal. In operation 413, the hapticpattern data generator may divide the audio signal converted into thefrequency domain based on a frequency band. The haptic pattern datagenerator may divide the audio signal converted into the frequencydomain, into audio signals of a plurality of frequency bands to acquirean audio signal of a frequency band including a desired audio bitpattern.

In operation 414, the haptic pattern data generator may select a signalof at least one frequency band including desired bit pattern informationfrom the audio signals of the plurality of frequency bands. For example,the haptic pattern data generator may select a signal of at least onefrequency band including bit pattern information to be extracted such asbit pattern information associated with a noise-free audio signal, bitpattern information associated with a specific musical instrument of anaudio signal, and the like. In an example embodiment, when the hapticpattern data generator is to generate mono-type first haptic patterndata, the haptic pattern data generator may select a signal of a lowfrequency band including desired bit pattern information in operation414.

In another example embodiment, when the haptic pattern data generator isto generate stereo-type first haptic pattern data, the haptic patterndata generator may select two channels corresponding to a signal of ahigh frequency band and a signal of a low frequency band includingdesired bit pattern information in operation 414.

In operation 415, the haptic pattern data generator may perform aninverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT) on the selected frequencyband of audio signal. The haptic pattern data generator may convert theaudio signal of the selected frequency band from the frequency domaininto a time domain through the IFFT.

In operation 416, the haptic pattern data generator may smooth the audiosignal obtained through the IFFT. For example, in a process of smoothingthe audio signal, the haptic pattern data generator may performfull-wave rectification on the audio signal converted into the timedomain through the IFFT, reduce a distortion occurring due to the FFTand segmentation performed on the audio signal, and perform aconvolution operation on the audio signal using a window function tosmoothly correct a radically changing area. The window function may be,for example, a Hanning function, a Hamming function, and a Kaiserfunction, but is not limited thereto. Also, when the convolutionoperation is performed in the frequency domain, a speed of theconvolution operation may be increased since a convolution operation inthe time domain is the same as a multiplication operation in thefrequency domain.

In operation 417, the haptic pattern data generator may extract an audiobit pattern by performing half-wave rectification on the smoothed audiosignal.

FIG. 4b is a diagram illustrating an example in which a haptic patterndata generator separates an audio signal of a frequency band includingdesired bit pattern information using FFT according to an exampleembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4b , an audio signal 421 may be converted from a timedomain into a frequency domain through an FFT, and then segmented intoaudio signals based on a frequency band. Signals 423 may be audiosignals obtained through segmentation into six different frequency bandsf₁, f₂, f₃, f₄, f₅, and f₆ obtained through the segmentation. A hapticpattern data generator may select an audio signal 425 of a frequencyband, for example, the frequency band f₂ including desired bit patterninformation from the audio signals of the plurality of frequency bands.The haptic pattern data generator may convert the selected audio signal425 from the frequency domain into the time domain through an IFFT. Thehaptic pattern data generator may extract the desired bit patterninformation by performing smoothing and half-wave rectification on anaudio signal 427 converted into the time domain. The haptic pattern datagenerator may generate first haptic pattern data based on the extractedbit pattern information.

FIG. 5a is a flowchart illustrating operations of a method ofextracting, by a haptic pattern data generator, an audio bit patternfrom an audio signal using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) according toanother example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5a , in operation 511, a haptic pattern data generatormay perform segmentation on an input audio signal to perform a discretewavelet transformation on the input audio signal. For example, a firsthaptic pattern data determiner may segment an audio signal into 256 or1024 data streams to smoothly perform the discrete wavelettransformation on the audio signal. However, the number of data streamsis not limited to the example.

In operation 513, the haptic pattern data generator may separate thesegmented audio signal for each frequency band through the discretewavelet transformation. The haptic pattern data generator may separatethe segmented audio signal for each frequency band through the discretewavelet transformation to acquire an audio signal of a frequency bandincluding a desired audio bit pattern. A method of separating an audiosignal for each frequency band through the discrete wavelettransformation will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 b.

In operation 515, the haptic pattern data generator may select a signalof at least one frequency band including desired bit pattern informationfrom audio signals separated for each frequency band. For example, thehaptic pattern data generator may select an audio signal of at least onefrequency band including bit pattern information to be extracted such asbit pattern information associated with a noise-free audio signal, bitpattern information associated with a specific musical instrument of anaudio signal, and the like.

In operation 517, the haptic pattern data generator may smooth the audiosignal of the selected frequency band. For example, in a process ofsmoothing the audio signal, the haptic pattern data generator mayperform full-wave rectification on the selected audio signal, reduce adistortion occurring in the audio signal, and perform a convolutionoperation on the audio signal using a window function to smoothlycorrect a radical area. The window function may be, for example, aHanning function, a Hamming function, and a Kaiser function, but is notlimited thereto.

In operation 519, the haptic pattern data generator may extract an audiobit pattern by performing half-wave rectification on the smoothed audiosignal. The haptic pattern data generator may determine first hapticpattern data based on the extracted audio bit pattern.

FIG. 5b is a diagram illustrating a process in which a haptic patterndata generator splits an audio signal for each frequency band through adiscrete wavelet transformation according to another example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5b , an audio signal may be filtered by a high-passfilter 521. The audio signal filtered by the high-pass filter 521 may bedown-sampled and separated as an audio signal of a first frequency band.An audio signal filtered by a low-pass filter 522 may be down-sampled tobe used as an input audio signal for separating an audio signal of asecond frequency band. The input audio signal for separating the audiosignal of the second frequency band may be filtered by a high-passfilter 523, and down-sampled to be separated as the audio signal of thesecond frequency band. The audio signal filtered by a low-pass filter524 may be down-sampled to be used as an input audio signal forseparating an audio signal of a third frequency band. In response tosuch filtering and down-sampling processes being performed by filters525, 526, 527, and 528, the haptic pattern data generator may divide anaudio signal for each frequency band in a time domain. For example, whenan audio signal is to be divided into signals of n frequency bands, afiltering process may be performed 2n times. The haptic pattern datagenerator may select an audio signal of at least one frequency bandincluding desired bit pattern information from signals of a plurality offrequency bands, and extract an audio bit pattern by performing thehalf-wave rectification on the selected audio signal.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a haptic deviceaccording to an example embodiment.

Hereinafter the term “pattern data” is used as a meaning includinghaptic pattern data and lighting pattern data. Referring to FIG. 6, ahaptic device may include a receiver 610 that receives wireless data, apattern data extractor 620 that extracts haptic pattern data, anactuator controller 630 that generates a control signal for controllingan actuator based on the extracted haptic pattern data, an actuator 640that generates a haptic stimulus, a haptic pattern data storage 650 thatstores haptic pattern data generated in advance, and a lighting 660 thatgenerates a lighting effect based on lighting pattern data.

The receiver 610 may receive wireless data from the control apparatus.The haptic pattern data storage 650 may store at least one of firsthaptic pattern data generated in advance based on a bit pattern ofcontent and second haptic pattern data generated in advance based on apredetermined bit pattern for implementing an event effect.

The pattern data extractor 620 may determine whether identification dataof a target haptic device included in the wireless data matchesidentification data of the haptic device, and perform an operation ofextracting pattern data only when it is determined that theidentification data of the target haptic device matches theidentification data of the haptic device. In an example embodiment, thepattern data extractor 620 may extract at least one of the first hapticpattern data and the second haptic pattern data from the wireless datareceived through the receiver 610.

In another example embodiment, the pattern data extractor 620 mayextract at least one of first haptic pattern data and second hapticpattern data stored in the haptic pattern data storage 650 based on ahaptic pattern indicator included in the wireless data received throughthe receiver 610. In another example embodiment, the pattern dataextractor 620 may extract lighting pattern data included in the wirelessdata received through the receiver 610. The lighting 660 may generate alighting effect based on the extracted lighting pattern data.

The actuator controller 630 may generate a control signal forcontrolling the actuator 640 based on the haptic pattern data extractedby the pattern data extractor 620. The actuator controller 630 mayinclude a direct current (DC)-DC converter 630 that converts a voltageof a circuit to a higher voltage, a control circuit 632 that generates acurrent based on the haptic pattern data and a voltage applied from theDC-DC converter 630, and a switching controller 633 that generates acontrol signal in a form of current for controlling the actuator 640 byadjusting the current generated by the control circuit.

The actuator controller 630 may generate the current based on the hapticpattern data received from the pattern data extractor 620 and thevoltage applied from the DC-DC converter 630 through the control circuit632. The actuator controller 630 may generate an actuator control signalfor controlling a haptic stimulus generated by the actuator 640 byadjusting the current generated by the control circuit 632 through theswitching controller 633.

The actuator 640 may generate a haptic stimulus based on the actuatorcontrol signal. The actuator 640 may include two channels 641 and 642for generating a stereo-type haptic stimulus. The actuator 640 may be,for example, an actuator including an eccentric rotating mass, a linearresonant actuator in which a mass attached to a spring is drivenforwardly and backwardly, and an electromagnetic actuator, but is notlimited thereto.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for atheater entrance system using a radio-frequency identification (RFID)tag and a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, a theater entrance system may include a hapticdevice 710, an RFID reader 720, and an RFID management device 730. Thehaptic device 710 may include an RFID tag 713 including identificationdata of a haptic device user. When entering a theater, the haptic deviceuser may tag the haptic device 710 on the RFID reader 720, so that theidentification data of the user of the haptic device 710 is recognized.The recognized identification data may be managed by the RFID managementdevice 730. Based on the identification data of the user managed by thetheater entrance system, the control apparatus may provide a lightingeffect and a haptic stimulus appropriate for the haptic device 710.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a wireless dataproviding method performed by a control apparatus to control anoperation of a haptic device according to an example embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 810, a control apparatus may generatefirst haptic pattern data corresponding to a bit pattern of content. Forexample, the bit pattern of the content may be an audio bit patternextracted from an audio signal included in content data. The controlapparatus may generate the first haptic pattern data based on theextracted audio bit pattern.

In operation 820, the control apparatus may generate wireless dataincluding the first haptic pattern data and identification data of atleast one target haptic device to receive the first haptic pattern data.

In another example embodiment, the control apparatus may store, in ahaptic pattern data storage, second haptic pattern data corresponding toa predetermined bit pattern for implementing an event effect before apoint in time that content is provided. In a process of providing thecontent, when event effect data indicating an event effect provided onthe content is received, the control apparatus may generate wirelessdata including the second haptic pattern data stored in the hapticpattern data storage and identification data of at least one targethaptic device to receive the second haptic pattern data.

In operation 830, the control apparatus may transmit the generatedwireless data through an antenna. The control apparatus may transmit thegenerated wireless data to each frequency channel using a multi-channelantenna. The control apparatus may transmit the wireless data at aplurality of frequencies, thereby achieving a safety and a reliabilityof wireless data transmission.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a haptic stimulusgenerating method performed by a haptic device according to an exampleembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 910, a haptic device may receivewireless data from a control apparatus. In operation 920, the hapticdevice may extract haptic pattern data from the received wireless data.For example, the haptic pattern data may include first haptic patterndata corresponding to a bit pattern of content and second haptic patterndata corresponding to a predetermined bit pattern for implementing anevent effect.

In operation 930, the haptic device may generate a control signal forcontrolling an actuator based on the extracted haptic pattern data. Thehaptic device may generate a control signal in a form of current througha DC-DC converter, a control circuit, and a switching controller. Inoperation 940, the haptic device may generate a haptic stimulus throughthe actuator based on the generated control signal.

The components described in the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention may be achieved by hardware components including at least oneDSP (Digital Signal Processor), a processor, a controller, an ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a programmable logic elementsuch as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), other electronicdevices, and combinations thereof. At least some of the functions or theprocesses described in the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention may be achieved by software, and the software may be recordedon a recording medium. The components, the functions, and the processesdescribed in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may beachieved by a combination of hardware and software.

The methods according to the above-described example embodiments may berecorded in non-transitory computer-readable media including programinstructions to implement various operations of the above-describedexample embodiments. The media may also include, alone or in combinationwith the program instructions, data files, data structures, and thelike. The program instructions recorded on the media may be thosespecially designed and constructed for the purposes of exampleembodiments, or they may be of the kind well-known and available tothose having skill in the computer software arts. Examples ofnon-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic media such ashard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such asCD-ROM discs, DVDs, and/or Blue-ray discs; magneto-optical media such asoptical discs; and hardware devices that are specially configured tostore and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM),random access memory (RAM), flash memory (e.g., USB flash drives, memorycards, memory sticks, etc.), and the like. Examples of programinstructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler,and files containing higher level code that may be executed by thecomputer using an interpreter. The above-described devices may beconfigured to act as one or more software modules in order to performthe operations of the above-described example embodiments, or viceversa.

A number of example embodiments have been described above. Nevertheless,it should be understood that various modifications may be made to theseexample embodiments. For example, suitable results may be achieved ifthe described techniques are performed in a different order and/or ifcomponents in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit arecombined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by othercomponents or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations arewithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A control apparatus for controlling an operation of a haptic device,the apparatus comprising: a haptic pattern data generator configured togenerate haptic pattern data corresponding to content or an event; awireless data generator configured to generate wireless data includingthe haptic pattern data and identification data of at least one targethaptic device to receive the haptic pattern data; a wireless datatransmitter configured to transmit the generated wireless data; and alighting pattern data generator configured to generate lighting patterndata corresponding to content or an event, wherein the lighting patterndata generator is configured to determine a lighting pattern to beapplied to the at least one target haptic device and generate thelighting pattern data based on the determined lighting pattern, andwherein the wireless data further includes the lighting pattern data. 2.The control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a haptic patterndata storage configured to store at least one of first haptic patterndata previously generated based on the content and a second hapticpattern data previously generated based on the event.
 3. The controlapparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless data further includesoperation control data associated with an operation of the at least onetarget haptic device.
 4. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein thewireless data transmitter is configured to transmit the wireless data toeach frequency channel using a multi-channel antenna.
 5. The controlapparatus of claim 1, wherein the haptic pattern data generator isconfigured to generate haptic pattern data distinguished for each groupof haptic devices.
 6. A haptic device comprising: a wireless datareceiver configured to receive wireless data from a control apparatus; apattern data extractor configured to extract haptic pattern data fromthe wireless data; an actuator configured to generate a haptic stimulus;an actuator controller configured to generate a control signal forcontrolling the actuator based on the extracted haptic pattern data; anda lighting configured to generate a lighting effect based on lightingpattern data included in the wireless data, wherein the lightinggenerates the lighting effect based on the lighting pattern data.
 7. Thehaptic device of claim 6, further comprising: a haptic pattern datastorage configured to store at least one of first haptic pattern datapreviously generated based on content and second haptic pattern datapreviously generated based on an event.
 8. The haptic device of claim 6,wherein the haptic pattern data extractor is configured to determinewhether identification data of a target haptic device included in thewireless data matches identification data of the haptic device, anddetermine whether to extract the haptic pattern data based on a resultof the determining.
 9. A wireless data providing method performed by acontrol apparatus to control an operation of a haptic device, the methodcomprising: generating haptic pattern data corresponding to content oran event; generating wireless data including the haptic pattern data andidentification data of at least one target haptic device to receive thehaptic pattern data; transmitting the generated wireless data; andgenerating lighting pattern data corresponding to content or an event,wherein the step of generating lighting pattern data includes:determining a lighting pattern to be applied to the at least one targethaptic device, and generating the lighting pattern data based on thedetermined lighting pattern, and wherein the wireless data furtherincludes the lighting pattern data.
 10. A haptic stimulus generatingmethod performed by a haptic device, the method comprising: receivingwireless data from a control apparatus; extracting haptic pattern datafrom the wireless data; generating a control signal for controlling anactuator based on the extracted haptic pattern data; generating a hapticstimulus using the actuator based on the control signal; and generatinga lighting effect based on lighting pattern data included in thewireless data, wherein the step of generating a lighting effectincludes: generating the lighting effect based on the lighting patterndata.